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Washing machine is very loud on spin

Banging, rumbling or a jet-engine roar as the machine spins up. Knocking is usually load or suspension; a continuous roar that gets worse with speed usually means the drum bearings, which is the repair most likely to end a machine's life.

Verdict

DIY-able with care

Involves dismantling or a part swap — confident DIYers only

Urgency
Fix soon

About 1 hr to work through

Typical cost

Free to £320

DIY: Up to £70 in parts

What causes it, most likely first

  1. Unbalanced or overloaded drum

    Most likely

    A single heavy item or a packed drum makes the machine knock violently on spin. Costs nothing to rule out and is the answer surprisingly often.

    How to check: Redistribute the load by hand and run a spin-only cycle.

  2. Machine not level or feet not locked

    Common

    A rocking machine amplifies every vibration into a bang against the cabinet and the floor.

    How to check: Push down on each front corner in turn — any movement means the feet need adjusting and locking.

  3. Transit bolts still fitted

    Occasional

    On a newly delivered machine, transit bolts left in the back produce a violent hammering noise and will damage the machine if left.

    How to check: Look for four bolts with plastic collars across the back panel.

  4. Foreign object between drum and tub

    Common

    A coin or underwire trapped behind the drum produces a distinct metallic scraping that changes with drum speed.

    How to check: With the machine unplugged, turn the drum slowly by hand and listen.

  5. Worn shock absorbers

    Common

    Dead dampers let the drum swing far enough to hit the cabinet. Classic symptom is heavy knocking only at high spin speed.

    Shock absorbers / dampers£20–£50 for the partDIY with care

  6. Worn drum bearings

    Common

    A rumbling roar that rises with spin speed, often with visible up-and-down play if you grip the drum at the top and pull. Replacing bearings is a full strip-down and is frequently uneconomic on a machine over about six years old.

    Drum bearing kit£25–£70 for the partEngineer

What to check, in order

  1. Redistribute the load and retry

    Pull the wet washing apart, spread it evenly, and run a spin-only cycle.

    10 min

  2. Check the machine is level and solid

    Push each front corner down in turn. Adjust the feet with a spanner until there is no rock at all, then lock the nuts up against the cabinet.

    15 minSpanner

  3. Diagnose the noise type

    Rhythmic banging that varies with load is suspension or balance. A metallic scrape is a trapped object. A continuous roar that rises smoothly with speed is bearings — and that is the one worth getting a quote on before spending anything.

    15 min

  4. Check the drum for play

    With the machine unplugged, grip the drum at the top and pull it towards you, then push it back. More than a few millimetres of movement, or a gritty feel as you turn it, confirms worn bearings.

    10 min

  5. Get a quote before committing to bearings

    A bearing job is several hours of labour and on many machines the drum is sealed, so the whole tub assembly has to be replaced. Ask for the total, then compare it against a graded replacement — this is the classic repair-or-replace decision point.

    10 min

Need an engineer for this?

We list 4 washer dryer repair businesses across the UK. Diagnostic callouts typically start around £55, and many will put that towards the repair if you go ahead.

Find washer dryer engineers near you

Parts you might need

Typical UK prices for the part alone, before fitting. Worth knowing before you accept a quote — the part is often a small share of what a repair is priced at.

  • Shock absorbers / dampers

    Damp the drum as it accelerates into a spin. Worn ones let the drum hammer the cabinet on high spin speeds.

    £20–£50

  • Drum bearing kit

    The bearings the drum spins on, plus the shaft seal. Replacing them is a full strip-down and is often the point at which a repair stops being worth it.

    £25–£70

Worth repairing, or replace it?

At the top of this range the repair costs a significant share of a graded replacement, which typically starts around £280. Worth getting the quote first, then deciding — on a machine under about five years old a repair usually still wins.

Work out if it's worth fixingCompare graded washer dryers

Is there an error code on the display?

If your washer dryer is showing a code, that will narrow the diagnosis a lot further than symptoms alone.

Look up your error code

Other washer dryers problems